Get Reel: Movies that are all in the family fun

As Hollywood continues to plunder fairy tales for movie source material, this may be a good time to examine the state of family entertainment, especially considering many of these fairy tale retoolings are decidedly not family friendly.

As Hollywood continues to plunder fairy tales for movie source material, this may be a good time to examine the state of family entertainment, especially considering many of these fairy tale retoolings are decidedly not family friendly.

Case in point, the upcoming R-rated “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.” Here, the brother and sister grow up to become bounty hunters who track down and kill witches. Grim fairy tales, indeed.

The ingredients that go into making a quality family film aren’t easy to come by or else Hollywood wouldn’t make so many mediocre and downright miserable movies.

Typically, a family film implies a movie for children, but the best family films appeal to the entire family: children, teens and adults. Case in the point: the classic Disney movies starting with 1937’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and continuing to 1991’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

Pixar, with its stable of computer-generated gems such as “Toy Story,” and DreamWorks, with its fractured take on fairy tales in “Shrek,” have furthered the cause.

The success of “Shrek” however has spawned a slew of fairy tale tamperings. Some have worked, like “Tangled.” Others have failed, like “Mirror Mirror.” The latter proves that no matter how talented the cast — “Mirror” features Julia Roberts and Nathan Lane — and no matter how visionary the director — Tarsem creates a feast for the eyes in “Mirror” — if the script is substandard, the film will likely founder.

That said, a solid screenplay isn’t the only component that goes into making a quality family film.

Filmmakers would do well to heed the following “don’ts.”

Don’t “talk” down to children. They’re sharper than you think.

Don’t be afraid to take risks. Far too many films have become far too politically correct. They don’t want to “upset” the children. Yet Disney made a career out of offing parents — start with “Bambi” and move on to “The Lion King” — yet the young viewers didn’t need to see the psychiatrist afterward.

Don’t get too carried away with pop cultural references. “Shrek” popularized this trend, but the practice has become overworked. Adults get the jokes, but no one else.

Don’t rely solely on slapstick for laughs. That’s the flip-side of this coin. Sure, the young ones will guffaw, but the adults will want to poke their eyes out.

Don’t get too preachy. There’s nothing wrong with a movie with a message, but when it’s shoved down the audience’s throat with a plunger, it’s time to scream, “No mas!” A little subtlety never hurt.

On the “do” side of the ledger is placing an emphasis on the power of the imagination. A film that does that has the best chance of getting branded a “classic.”

Page 2 of 3 - A recent poll conducted by the opinion-based website, SodaHead.com, just happened to focus on family entertainment, and the results show that its users know quality when they see it. That said, I think readers may take issue with some of the choices.

While “Back to the Future” is a superb film, I have a feeling most moviegoers would give the top spot to “E.T.” I would also place “The Princess Bride” higher. Ten percent? That’s inconceivable.

And where are “The Little Mermaid,” “Big,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and “A Christmas Story”? Perhaps they were in the “Other” category. Also, a case can be made for “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” That is if your child can handle watching faces melt.

OK, “Home Alone is a decent movie, but where is “Beauty and the Beast”? And “Aladdin.” And “The Lion King.” And “Iron Giant”? The only films on this list that merit “must-see” status are “Toy Story” and “Babe.” One hopes they were in “Other.”

Tough to argue with “Potter,” but how can anyone, even a toddler, vote for “Chipmunks,” a positively wretched film, and not vote for “Up,” “Chicken Run,” “The Incredibles,” “Finding Nemo,” “Ratatouille,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “Enchanted” and Wall-E”?

For the record, my favorite movie is a family movie: “The Wizard of Oz.” Almost forgot, another step to take to ensure quality? Cast someone as magical as Judy Garland.

Athletes on film

It’s now time for Trivia.

Last month’s tester: Based on an award-winning book, this 1970s movie drama with echoes of Vietnam had to change its title because of its resemblance to a novel by a writer from another country published the year before. Name the movie, both books and both authors. Clue: The authors were born a year apart.

Page 3 of 3 - Answer: “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” based on American author Robert Stone’s novel “Dog Soldiers.” The other novel was English author Frederick Forsyth’s “Dogs of War.” Stone was born in 1937, Forsyth in 1938.

No one answered the question correctly.

This month’s tester: What two athletes, one of whom was to die before he was 30, starred in an early 1960s comedy? Clue: One of the co-stars would later appear in a film that won the Best Picture Oscar.

Name the athletes, the 1960s movie, the co-star and the Oscar-winning film.

The first reader to answer the question correctly will receive the book “Pulling It All Together,” a collection of editorial cartoons by Dave Granlund.

Trivia enthusiasts can call me at 508-626-4409 or email me at rtremblay@wickedlocal.com.

Make sure you leave your name, address and phone number on my message machine or email so I can contact you if you answered the question correctly. The address is needed so winners can be mailed their prize. Callers should spell out their names slowly and clearly so their names will be spelled correctly in the column.

Answers will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10. Good luck!